Good News From Iraq

The rescue of Army private Jessica Lynch is an inspiring story; she is shown below, in a still from a video, immediately after the rescue. While reportedly injured, she appears to be in pretty good shape. The Washington Post’s account of the rescue is here.
I know I’m out of step here, but I cannot understand why we put women in combat zones. Private Lynch was rescued from an Iraqi “hospital;” no word yet on whether it was a real hospital or not. Eleven bodies were recovered from the same site; some are said to be Americans, likely from the same maintenance unit that Private Lynch and other POWs came from.
Meanwhile, American troops are reported to have advanced within 25 miles of Baghdad. Central Command spokesman Gen. Vincent Brooks said that “[t]he Baghdad Division [of the Republican Guard] has been destroyed.”
The photo below shows an American sniper in action in Al Hindayah.
You may have read about the Iraqi woman who was shot by Iraqi soldiers while trying to cross a bridge over the Euphrates; Army Captain Chris Carter, commander of A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, made his way out onto the bridge under enemy fire, ascertained the woman’s condition, called in an armored ambulance and covered the medics while they rescued the woman and drove her to safety. Here is a photo of Captain Carter and the Iraqi woman on the bridge, just before her rescue.
These photos are from Army Times, an excellent source of information on the war from the soldiers’ perspective.